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The Most Beautiful– and Trying —Time of the Year!

This is the best time of the year. Everyone says so. The truth is, if you’re trying to lose weight and/or eat healthy, this is also a very trying time of the year. We’re surrounded by food and beverages and more food and beverages.

Stop for a second–no, make that a minute–and think just what it would mean to you if you could handle the holiday temptations like a rockstar! It’s not impossible, you know. In fact, all it takes is a little planning and a lot of focus on what you want your January 1st and beyond to look like.

So many of us go into the new year with the resolution, “I’m really going to do something about my weight this year.” That’s all good, but imagine if YOU went into the new year with a different resolution because you’re already working on getting to a healthy weight.

If you haven’t yet started to adopt healthier lifestyle behaviors, especially as it applies to eating better, my advice is to start now. If you’ve already started, but are contemplating blowing off the month, please think again. December is what heroes are made of. If you can improve your relationship with food at this time of the year, you got the other 11 months in the palm of your hands.My advice for staying ahead of the game:

• Keep calm. To de-stress, do deep-breathing exercises, meditate, take a warm bubble bath or hop on the treadmill.

• Map out the day. You more-or-less know how your day is going to play out. In the morning (or even the night before), plan what you’re going to eat, when and if it applies, where. Try not to deviate from your plans.

• Refocus. The holidays are not about food. Food is good and we should enjoy, but the real focus is on our relationships. It’s a time of sharing, caring and reconnecting. Make that the focus. Food is the wrapping paper and not the gift!

• Have a go-to dish. Inevitably, you’ll be asked to bring along a dish to a holiday gathering, so why not bring something that you can enjoy without guilt?

• Don’t skip meals. The day leading up to your planned get-together, eat your regular meals. Avoid going hungry and deprived. It will backfire.

• Exercise! Enough said.

• Master the buffet. Before even beginning to fill up your plate at a buffet, scout it out. See what’s there and before lifting the first serving spoon, know what will be on your plate by the time you get to the end of the line. Veggies and fruit are your friends. Repeat. Veggies and fruit are your friends.

• Don’t throw away the champagne along with the cork. In other words, if things don’t go as planned at one event, don’t wave the white flag on eating healthy for the rest of the season. Think of it this way: If you’re angry that you have a flat tire, would you then go around the car and slash the other three? Nope.

• Moderation. Again, enough said!

• Latch on to a supportive friend. When things get tough, as they will, find a friend that you can rely on to vent, share, and celebrate your milestones, no matter how big or small they are. Never forget that you have a roomful of friends at your Weight Watchers meeting.